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Friday, March 28, 2014

Cairo (AFP) - Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ditched his military fatigues on Thursday and resigned as Egypt's defence minister, a day after announcing he would stand for president.

Meanwhile, General Sedki Sobhi was sworn in as the new defence minister and army chief, and Lieutenant General Mahmoud Hegazy replaced Sobhi as army chief of staff, the presidency said. Hegazy is the father-in-law of Sisi's son.Sisi turned up in civilian clothes at the weekly cabinet meeting to submit his resignation after quitting as army chief the previous night, state news agency MENA reported.

Declaring his widely anticipated candidacy in a televised address on Wednesday, Sisi vowed to fight "terrorism" and work towards restoring the battered economy.

The wildly popular Sisi faces no serious competition in the election to be held before June, and is widely seen as the only leader able to restore order after more than three years of turmoil since the Arab Spring overthrow of veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak.

"With all modesty, I nominate myself for the presidency of Egypt," Sisi said in his address, wearing his uniform.

Timeline with photos explaining the role of Egypt's powerful army in the country's political …

He vowed to fight militancy, which has killed more than 200 policemen and troops since the military ousted elected president Mohamed Morsi last July.

US deputy State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Washington was not backing any candidate in the election, saying "it's the Egyptian people themselves who must decide both the direction of their country and its leadership".

It was "critical that they are able to do so in an environment that allows the free expression of political views without intimidation or fear of retribution", Harf said in an email to AFP.

Washington has been critical of Egypt's military-installed government for the slow transition to democracy since Morsi's ouster.

But the cabinet reiterated on Thursday that it aims to "build a modern state based on democratic institutions".

The announcement was also welcomed on the street, with people saying Sisi becoming president was inevitable.

"Sisi is too powerful. If he had remained as defence minister, he would have become a headache for any president. Therefore there is no alternative to him" but to become president, said tour operator Ali Amin.

Sisi's candidacy is likely to further inflame Islamist protests and worry secular activists who fear a return to rule by the military and the strong-arm tactics of the Mubarak era.

A photo released by the Egyptian presidency shows interim president Adly Mansour (R) and Defense Min …

"He led a coup to become president. He is a man who has killed daily since the coup," Ibrahim Munir of the Brotherhood's political bureau told AFP by telephone from London.

- Real power behind Mansour -

Sisi is believed to be the real power behind interim president Adly Mansour, under whose watch police have killed hundreds of Islamist protesters and detained about 15,000 suspects since Morsi's ouster.

The crackdown has worried the international community, which was outraged after 529 Morsi supporters were sentenced to death this week over deadly riots.

Many Egyptians, deeply disillusioned by the Islamist Morsi's single year in power, have supported the crackdown in the hope of seeing stability restored.

For those Egyptians who want an end to the violence that has scared off investors and tourists, hitting the economy hard, Sisi's military background is an asset.

The army is seen as the country's most stable institution, and Sisi can count on further aid from friendly Gulf states who have pumped billions of dollars into Egypt since Morsi's ouster.

"To turn the economy around, deep and painful restructuring is needed, something the military-backed government has avoided so far," said James Dorsey, Middle East Expert at Singapore-based S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

"He will lead a deeply divided country in which a significant minority feels disenfranchised. He would need to build bridges to prevent further polarisation and violence."

State news agency MENA also reported that the government has decided to demolish a building near Cairo's iconic Tahrir Square which once was the headquarters of Mubarak's National Democratic Party.

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About Me

James M DorseyWelcome to The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer by James M. Dorsey, a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Soccer in the Middle East and North Africa is played as much on as off the pitch. Stadiums are a symbol of the battle for political freedom; economic opportunity; ethnic, religious and national identity; and gender rights. Alongside the mosque, the stadium was until the Arab revolt erupted in late 2010 the only alternative public space for venting pent-up anger and frustration. It was the training ground in countries like Egypt and Tunisia where militant fans prepared for a day in which their organization and street battle experience would serve them in the showdown with autocratic rulers. Soccer has its own unique thrill – a high-stakes game of cat and mouse between militants and security forces and a struggle for a trophy grander than the FIFA World Cup: the future of a region. This blog explores the role of soccer at a time of transition from autocratic rule to a more open society. It also features James’s daily political comment on the region’s developments. Contact: incoherentblog@gmail.comView my complete profile